40 years of M-Power
08/19/2012
BMW celebrates the "M" on the occasion of the DTM race at the Nürburgring, according to the motto: "40 years of the most powerful letter in the world!"
On May 1, 1972, BMW Motorsport GmbH was founded in Munich, from which BMW M GmbH later emerged. Jochen Neerpasch was head of the 35-strong specialist team at the time.
The celebrations will be attended by the current DTM squad, but various guests from days gone by have also been invited.
The five historic BMW Classic cars (including the BMW 320 E21 Group 5, BMW M3, BMW M1 and BMW 320 E36) will be driven by Marc Surer, Harald Grohs and Leopold von Bayern.
Also present will be Paul Roche, BMW's long-time engine pope, and Jochen Neerpasch, the company's first head of motorsport. Neerpasch founded the BMW Junior Team and later also launched the Procar Series.
The top photo shows Marc Surer in his Junior Team 320 Gr. 5 ahead of Harald Grohs in the M3 and Poldi von Bayern in the M1.
The second photo shows the gentlemen as they look today, from left to right: Marc Surer, Poldi von Bayern, Dieter Glemser (not a BMW man, but a very fast Ford man) and Harald Grohs.
